Something to be done and Someone willing to do it
by OnceAponABlueMoon
Summary: Even after the Avengers lay on the ground defeated, Peter isn't about to let Thanos snap the people he cares for out of existence. Luckily for him, he isn't the only one who has a problem with that. One Shot. Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters.


**Author's Note: ****Hello and welcome to this one-shot!**

**To give a bit of background info and to add a fair warning; this small story diverges a bit from canon. All the infinity stones are on Earth and a battle for them takes place in New York City. Also, the Avengers are still together, got over their split (yes, like a band) and are fighting along side with many other heroes.**  
**I wrote this because it seemed like a pretty fun idea and I hope you all like it. I'm sorry for any mistakes with regards to character personalities, powers or any other facts. I tried to keep everything as "realistic" as possible but I am certainly not perfect and errors do occur. ****(I cross posted this on Ao3 under the same user name so if you see that you know it's me.)**  
**Anyways, please enjoy and have a nice day!**

OooO

Peter had always held this strange conception in his head that once the adults failed, it was all over.

No more trying. No more looking at it from a different perspective. No more hitting your head against the brick wall to find a solution. That's it. That's the end. You can give up now.

This was something he had thought was an understandable belief: Children were the young, new players in life who still straggled after the seasoned veterans hoping to snag some of their experience along the way. Adults were strong, knowledgeable and seemed to have become accustomed to the curveballs that the world seemed to throw their way.

And that, to Peter, had always felt like the truth.

So when of course the universe fired the most aggressive pitch he had ever seen at the Earth in the form of a 2 and a half meter tall purple alien dead set on eradicating half of the galaxy's population, Peter had naturally been worried but at the back of his subconsciousness he had felt comforted by the fact that he knew the adults would do everything in their power to stop the new threat.

And he had been right. The adults - the-_freaking_-Avengers - _had_ done everything in their power to stop Thanos: The Hulk had tackled the violet brut into a bus; Thor had sent piercing flares of lightning bolts at the ground; Hawkeye and Natasha raced and flipped around the giant in a hypnotising dance, daggers and arrows aimed with terrifying accuracy; Captain America had thrown his shield and delivered a fray of punches and kicks all within mere seconds of each other_; _and Iron man nearly caused a blackout with all the extra energy he diverted to powering all his suits. Not to mention the fact that the Scarlett Witch, Black Panther, Ant Man, Doctor Strange, the Winter Solider, Falcon, War Machine, all the Guardians and many, _many_ more capable adults were kicking the arses of the freaky monsters Thanos had brought along with him.

The thought that all this would not have been enough, simply never crossed Peter's mind.

So when a sinister quiet fell over the city, skyscrapers smoking columns of dust and concert blocks littering the streets like breadcrumbs, Peter couldn't fully register what had happened. He was hanging upside-down, foot encased in electrical wire and head thumping painfully from when a metal traffic sign had come swinging his way, as he watched with wide, horror-stricken eyes as Earth's mightiest defenders were forced, one by one, into defeat. His hero's, the adults he had looked up to all his life, were fighting with all the strength they had left solely to stay alive.

New York City was no longer a battlefield, it had become a hunting ground.

Fear clawed at Peter's throat as he desperately untangled himself from the cables, flinching as they left behind blistering red marks on his calf. His suit was torn around his legs, and a large cut spread from his right shoulder to adjacent hip (Deadpool would have probably told him it looked skimpy, Johnny would have promptly punched the mercenary in the face).

Once he was completely free, Peter shot out a web and scaled a medium sized building to inspect the damage. He couched on the ledge, hands gripping the stone painfully hard in an attempt to ignore the thundering of his own racing heart pounding in his ears. From that viewpoint he could see all the original Avengers - gassed, grunting in pain, chained to the ground or deadly still - and the sight made him feel nauseous.

Standing in their midst, on a piece of road that had been slightly more elevated than the surrounding stone like a pedestal, was Thanos in all his frustratingly undamaged glory. Peter involuntarily took a step back, his Spider senses roaring at him that it was very, _very unsafe _to be in such close proximity to the predator.

It was then that an all-consuming, deep voice crashed through the silence.

'I am victorious.'

Thanos grinned as the clicks of all six infinity stones setting in to place echoed through the air, satisfaction glimmering in his gaze. The gauntlet gleamed with a ominous glow and Peter blinked at the metal which he had once thought to be gold but was now a bleak copper, emanating death.

'So much for the great protectors of Earth,' Thanos continued as he looked over the Avengers, 'You should never have dared to stand against me. All your efforts were useless in the end and now balance shall once again be restored to all realms.'

Peter gulped, stomach twisting in knots as he shook with a feeling of helplessness. What was he supposed to do now when everyone else had fallen? He was just a kid; a stupid, naive, sixteen year old kid who decided to jump into this whole ordeal with the flickering hope he might be able to offer _some_ assistance. Peter had been fully determined to knock some teeth in, help a group of citizens evacuate, and maybe save a cat or two out of some decimated apartment building. He had never expected to have his confidence crushed into oblivion.

An sudden arrow swished through the air so fast Peter had trouble keeping his eyes on it. It flew true, aimed directly at Thanos' head, only to stop two centimetres before reaching its goal and falling lifelessly to the ground. The red coloured gem glowed as Thanos snapped his gaze to the perpetrator who was sitting a few meters to his right.

Hawkeye let out a ragged breath, arms as well as bow falling to his sides as the last of his energy seemed to leave him. A stream of red spilled out from between his lips and a pain twisted expression was set on his face, the rebar sticking out of his stomach had fastened him to a slab of concrete making him immobile as blood dripped with a steady flow from the reinforced bar.

The Avenger was fatally wounded, _nearly dying_ Peter's mind filled in, yet he had still managed to fire off an arrow and look like he wouldn't hesitate to bite off anyone's head if they came near, an animalistic glint flickering in his eyes.

'D-don't,' Hawkeye croaked, spitting out a mouthful of blood as a manic grin formed on his face, 'Underes-estimate us.'

_But what can we do? _Peter thought desperately.

_'_You can do nothing.' Thanos said. 'Give up.'

Hawkeye chuckled wetly. 'I might not know what we can do but I do know that there is always something to be done and someone willing to do it. We humans are all pretty stubborn when it comes to surrendering.'

And that was when Peter smelled it; the sent of a fire that burned too hot, the whiff of energy that came from the stars and an aroma of engine grease intertwined with the trace of richly baked coffee beans that always seemed to come with being an inventor. He suddenly felt his muscles relax and then tense in anticipation, a grin curling the ends of his lips as an idea sprouted in his mind. It was dumb, reckless and depended completely on the chance that the others would catch on but if he had to put his faith in anything at that moment it would be the three people currently racing towards his current location.

So without another thought, Spider man jumped.

OoooooO

Tony wheezed as he tried to get enough air into his lungs. His suit was anchored beneath a flipped delivery tuck, one leg folded at a very _wrong_angle that send a sting of pain through his body during every pulse.

With a mind clouded in agony, Tony had trouble thinking of a solution to get him and the rest of the Avengers out of this predicament. The only fighter still left other than himself was Clint, who had already shot his last arrow at the Titan and was nearing the end of his distraction. Everyone else was either unconscious or in far too much pain to even think about assisting.

Tony hissed in frustration, jaw clenching together in an attempt to forcefully pull an idea into his head. There was no way this was going to be the end. Thanos _was not_ having the last laugh.

_But what in the hell were they supposed to do?_

His attention was diverted when Clint let out a painful sounding chortle.

'I might not know what we can do but I do know that there is always something to be done and someone willing to do it. We humans are all pretty stubborn when it comes to surrendering.'

Tony watched dreadfully as, after that, Thanos seemed to lose interest in Hawkeye, lifting his hand. The alien took a good look around at the fallen Avengers, before bringing his fingers together and -

A mass of red and blue limbs fell from the sky with a screech. It landed square on the infinity gauntlet, the sudden force causing an unsuspecting Thanos to stumble forwards. The giant let out a huff of indignation, eyes set on the intruder with a blaze of fury as he regained his balance. He held out his arm; regarding the teen that had clasped on to the gauntlet using his entire body, arms and legs woven between metal encased fingers.

'How dare you.' Thanos' voice rumbled causing panic to jump into Tony's throat as he watched _his kid_ dangle from the outstretched limb.

Peter simply gazed back at the Titan, mechanical eyes sharpening to slits. 'Yes dare I.'

Thanos blinked at this, from the other side of the clearing Tony could hear a snort come from Clint and the genius himself couldn't help but let his mouth drop open.

_What was the underroos doing?!_

With a sneer on his lips, Thanos strained his hand against Peter's strength. 'You are a very strange child.'

'Sir, that's bullying.' The teen said, his body shaking in effort to keep the gauntlet open.

The giant seethed, bringing up his other hand and curling his fingers into a fist. 'Your time has come to an end, insect. Your ridiculous attempt at stopping me is an embarrassment.'

'How would you know?' Peter replied, eyes flickering to the readying punch. 'I'm only the distraction.'

After that three things happened simultaneously and Tony could only stare in utter fascination and slight horror as they unfolded.

A figure dressed in brown Dora Milaje armour and Vibranium gauntlets dropped out of a glowing circle in the sky, arms aimed down and sonic energy pumping out in full force. Another shape, dawning a black and red helmet and a devious smirk, made its appearance with a blast of blue energy on its tail. The last person appeared in the form of a scorching comet, fire and heat emitting off him in waves.

Thanos faltered momentarily as Shuri's sonic attack made contact with the Titan's head. This gave the Human Torch and Nova enough time to rocket themselves at him from opposite sides; Sam crashing in to giant's chest with his full force and Johnny coming up from behind Thanos and scooping Peter into hit arms.

For a moment time seemed to freeze; the four teenagers desperately pushing and pulling with all their might, radiating pulses of pure energy that oscillate through the air. A bright light engulfed them and a tremor rattled the ground.

Suddenly the gauntlet shifted and the world sped up.

The Human torch zipped away, dragging a hysterical Spider man and infinity gauntlet along with him. Tony swore he could hear a "I thought I was going to die, you guys are the best!" being called out as they disappeared from his sight.

Nova blasted Thanos with a beam of energy that caused such a thundering sound Tony's ears popped, the alien was sent falling backwards at the force of the explosion. After that the teen flipped backwards and caught the princess of Wakanda before she reached the ground. The two raced off into the horizon the next second.

'Didn't expect that, did you? You ugly bastard!' Shuri screamed so loudly her voice echoed throughout the entire city.

Thanos stared up listlessly into the sky as the four teens became small specks, eyes brewing in a mixture of fury and confusion as he stood up. Body trembling with ire.

Tony could only blink in bewilderment at the realisation that four of the youngest members of their team had just managed to steal the universe's deadliest weapon while it had been fastened to the universe's most powerful individual.

A hostile cry rang out as Thanos jumped up, bulking body moving with unparalleled strength in a sprint. 'You are not getting away!' Before Tony knew it, the Titan had vanished down the street.

An almost peaceful silence drifted over the area and Tony had the crude desire to tell it to go stick its head up its figurative arse. Luckily, someone broke it before he had the chance.

'Pff, those kids!' Clint laughed before he winced as the bar that was still lodged through his body most likely moved uncomfortably. 'Ow, that hurt.'

'Did that really just happen?' A new voice spoke up.

Tony twisted his head to Natasha in surprise. The woman's left leg was buried deep under a ton of bricks and a concrete pillar and half her face was painted red from a deep gash on her forehead. Dust and grime littered her clothes and Tony knew for a fact at least two of her ribs were broken. He certainly hadn't expected her to be conscious.

'I think it did.' Tony nodded.

'You mean four teens just singlehandedly saved all our butts and half of the universe?'

'Jup.'

'Good for them.' Natasha smiled softly.

Tony grinned and couldn't agree more; _Those kids really were something_.

A cough interrupted his thoughts. 'Hey, I'm all about that reminiscing and suddenly feeling very proud shit but I've lost about 2 litres of blood and feel like I'm going into shock so - '

'I already called the paramedics.' Tony intervened. 'They'll be here within a minute.'

'Thank goodness.' Clint replied softly, head finally lolling backwards as his eyes fell shut. The bow that had until then been leaning on his lap, slipped down onto the rocks.

'I was wondering how he was still awake.' Natasha frowned, glancing curiously at her teammate.

'How are you still awake?' Tony accused.

The woman looked at him pointedly and simply shrugged her shoulders.

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes, hearing the sound of medical personnel begin trampling over the rubble to get to them. 'Well, anyway, we're going to have to figure out how we're going to deal with Thanos quickly because, once the adrenaline rush wears off, those kids are going to realise they have absolutely no idea what they are doing.'

Natasha grunted as she pulled a hand through her tangled hair. 'I vote disintegrating him into a million pieces and throwing his ashes into the depths of tartarus.'

Tony hesitated a moment and then grinned.

'I'll see what I can do.'

OoooooO

A heart monitor gave undertone to the sound of laughter reverberating in room number 204. Four beds had been set up in each of the corners, the white silk sheets were covered with things as magazines, comic books, boxes of chocolate, other packets of sweets and fan letters. Situated between all these items were four injured but very happy teenagers.

'You should have seen his face when the two of you raced off.' Shuri cackled, bandaged hands clutching her stomach in glee. 'It was pure gold!'

Peter grinned, waving his left hand while the other remained cradled in a sling. 'Ohh, don't worry. I had a pretty good viewpoint as Johnny dragged me off.'

'I'm surprised you saw anything. You were on the verge of bawling like a baby.' Torch teased, smirking mischievously as he twisted towards Peter, his leg suspended above his bed in a cast. Shuri and Sam both snorted.

'Hey, that's unfair.' Peter pouted. 'I was seriously scared for my life! There was never any guarantee that the three of you would catch on to my idea. I could seriously have died back there.'

Shuri gasped, leaning back in an affronted gesture with her hand to her heart. 'Peter, you insult me. I am a certified genius and renowned best friend, how was I not to understand what you were aiming for?'

Sam chuckled. 'She got you there Pet. There was no way we were going to leave you hanging.'

A warmth spread itself through Peter's chest and a grin so large formed on his face that his cheeks hurt. 'Thanks guys.'

'Not to worry Peter.' Sam winked, folding his arms over his bandaged chest. 'Now let's talk about the fact that Johnny and I played hot potato with the infinity gauntlet.'

Their excitement and rowdy chatting filled the room with a pleasant buzz and Peter had never felt more content in his life. All the panic and distress of the fight leaving his mind as he bathed in the light of the afternoon sun that streamed though the windows, blinking tears of joy out of his eyes.

Later, he thought back to the beginning of the day and how he had believed that once the adults had failed, everything would end. Now, sitting in the hospital room with his friends laughing at his side and cracking jokes about how they had literally outsmarted the strongest Titan in existence, he couldn't comprehend why he had ever thought that way:

Adults were strong, smart and experience but nowhere near invincible. They were all human after all and sometimes the only thing you could do was believe that some one out there, no matter what age, would be spurred into action to save those in need.

Clint's words echoed softly through his mind:

_I might not know what we can do but I do know that there is always something to be done and someone willing to do it._


End file.
